Deal
by Divine Vendetta
Summary: Hermione stood from her chair, and said, before turning to leave, “Deal.” GW/HG Please R&R First story.
1. Chapter 1

"What are you writing?", she asks in a whisper, with her head laying on her hand, staying propped up by her elbow, across the table from me. Can't be too loud in the Library, after all. Her eyes are on me. She has the tiniest hint of a smirk laid out on her lips. Those eyes. Those warm, caramel eyes that make me feel as if I could melt right into the ground, every time they're on me. She's told me before that she loves watching me do my homework, only because it's such a rare thing for me to put forth effort into something. She likes seeing me try, even when I know that it won't make a difference. I'm not stupid; I just don't have a flow when it comes to certain subjects. Potions is one of them.

"Snape assigned a _generous_ amount of work that needs to be done by the end of this week. I'm trying to put at least a dent in it, before the end of today." She makes it so difficult to concentrate, especially when I can feel her gaze upon me. As if doing this work isn't hard enough. _Must she always be the first to complete all of her assignments, without a flaw in them? _I guess I can't complain, since I know I love it when she keeps her attention on me.

I can't read her. I'm constantly unsure if she even feels remotely the same as I do. I wonder if she longs for me, the way I do for her. I wonder if she dreams about me on a nightly basis. She's told me before that she fancies girls, but that doesn't necessarily include _me_. We've been friends for a long time. Ever since I was in my second year. It's been four years since then. Funny how after all that time, I still can't figure her out. _What I would do to know what's going through her head, even for just this moment._ I can't ask her about it, either. What if she chooses to stop being my friend because she doesn't feel the same way about me? That's too much of a risk for me, so I keep all these thoughts to myself. "You could help, you know..." I tell her, in a fake agitated tone. I look up at her, and all she does is stare back at me. After a short moment, she says, "No Ginny, I think you've got everything under control.", before giving out a soft chuckle.

"For being brilliant, you're kind of useless." She perked one of her eyebrows. Ah, I love getting reactions out of her. I just looked back down at my paper, trying not to smile. I failed. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see her sit up straight, then cross her arms over her chest. I wonder what she's going to say now. _Knowing her, it'll be something ridiculously witty._

"Alright then, since we don't have class tomorrow, how about we work on this assignment of yours all night? Will that be of any _help_ to you?" I felt my heart jump a few beats faster. I wasn't expecting that. She's never offered to help me with my work, since she found it 'so cute' that I could do it on my own. Though, Potion's isn't exactly the first thing that pops into my mind when 'Hermione' and 'night' are put into the same sentence. _Stupid pervert, put your focus back on what's in front of you._

"Would you really?" I said with a smile, without looking up from my parchment. _Smooth..._ "So we'll meet back here, after dinner, deal?" Hermione stood from her chair, and said, before turning to leave, "Deal." I watched her walk off, behind a row of books, looking back at me with a smile, before disappearing. I blushed. She caught me watching her leave. She must know at this point that I was forcing myself to show as little attention to her as possible. _Because regular friends don't just stare at each other instead of trying to concentrate on homework, right..?_

I let out a deep sigh as I ran a hand through my hair, to get the strands out of my face. _I'm acting like an idiot. Why can't I just be myself around her? Because that'd probably scare her off... _Wise words, coming from an obsessed mind. Let's just hope I don't do anything stupid, that I'll end up regretting tonight. I've managed to hold everything back for this long. I don't want her to change her mind about ever helping me out again. For the sake of my grades, and my heart._ Don't let yourself down, Ginny. Whatever you do, don't you dare let yourself down..._


	2. Chapter 2

I'm walking back down from the Great Hall, towards the Library, after dinner. I barely got anything done, after Hermione had left earlier. All I could think about was being able to spend time around her, and hours of it at that, tonight. _How the Hell am I going to be able to focus on anything?_ I guess Hermione's 'help' is only more of a distraction. I hardly touched my food, because all I could do was watch her from across the Hall. _That's getting a little over-board, don't you think?_ I can't help myself. She sends shivers down my spine, just by saying my name. The way her eyes light up and the way her smile shines when she gets back an Outstanding on an exam, is entrancing. Everything about her just makes me feel alive, because she's the main source of my feelings. What I would do to get the courage to tell her everything that goes through my mind when we're together. _Ha, some Gryffindor YOU are._

By the time I reached the Library, I could already see Hermione sitting at one of the far-back tables. Dinner just ended five minutes ago, and I left early. How did she get here so fast? "You're late, Gin. As uuusual." She said in a cocky voice, as I walked up to the table she was at. "I'm not even going to ask how you got here so fast. Let's get started, hmm?" I said, dropping my bag to the floor. "I don't want to take up any of your precious beauty sleep, unless it's completely necessary." She scoffed. "Trust me, I'm not doing anything I don't want to do." I felt my cheeks flush, but didn't look back up from inside my pack, until I was sure it would no longer be visible. See how easy it is for her to effect me? She started to speak once more, "Now, show me where you left off."

- - -

After God knows how many hours, I managed to finish my entire Potion's assignment. To be perfectly honest, I'm surprised we even got through half of it, with all times Hermione caught me zoning out; That girl has more patience than I could ever possess. If I could guess, I'd say it's about three o'clock in the morning. Everyone else had left hours ago, but due to the amount of time Hermione stays late to catch up on her studies, no one saw a reason to remind us of the curfew. After I packed away my newly finished work, we rose from the chairs we had not left for a great period of time, and made way towards the corridors.

"You did a great job, Ginny. I'm proud that you actually started paying attention towards the end. For a while, I thought that I'd have to write your entire essay on my own." Hermione joked. "I know, I'm sorry." I responded. "I've just had a lot of things on my mind. Couldn't concentrate all that well." We were walking back towards Gryffindor Tower, trying to keep our voices down, so no authority figure would catch us out of our beds at such a late hour. We didn't need any more points deducted, that's for sure. All thanks to Harry and my idiot brothers.

"Well, what's been preoccupying your thoughts? You can tell me anything, you know?" She said, in her trademark, 'loyal-friend' tone. _DAMN, why did I even bring it up? Staying up so late is causing me to get delirious._ "It's nothing, really. I'll figure it out on my own, eventually." I couldn't let her know. Not yet. "Gin, come on, just tell m-" At that moment, we heard echoing footsteps coming toward us. Hermione and I panicked. She, being a Prefect and all, couldn't risk being caught, for fear of being relieved of her position. Hermione spotted a near-by door. We weren't sure what it led to, but at least it was a spot to hide for a few moments, until the coast was clear again.

She grabbed me by the arm, and threw me behind the door, before shutting it behind herself. Lucky us; We stumbled upon a broom closet. Not for the kind used for Quidditch, no. As in where mops and buckets were stored, for Finch to clean up any mess that, Fred or George for example, would create through-out the day. It was the smallest of closets, at that. There was barely even any room for the both of us to fit in. Hermione and I were pressed so tightly together, that I don't doubt she was able to hear how fast my heart was racing, and it wasn't caused by the fear of being caught by a teacher. We were both breathing a little heavily, her reason probably different than mine. We could hear the footsteps draw closer, and then past the closet we were hiding in, until they drained out completely. That's when Hermione decided to continue our previous discussion.

"So..." She paused. "What was it that you can't get out of your head?" _And here I thought this scare would make her forget all about that._ I could already feel her hot breath upon me, with how close we were standing next to each other, and it nearly drove me over the edge of my sanity. "Okay, I'll spill..." I said, before doing the boldest thing I think I've ever been able to do; And THAT'S pretty fucking courageous. I don't know if it was my lack of sleep, or the excitement of the entire situation, but at that moment, I leaned in, and gave her the softest kiss I could muster. Clearly, she wasn't expecting anything of the sort, since she let out a gasp, behind the lips mine were pressed against. I felt like I was sinking, down into a warm depth, where hearts grew wings, and the only thing that mattered was population:us.

Given a few, too short seconds, I pulled back, trying to find her eyes in the darkness of the broom closet. I was so nervous, and the fact that I couldn't even see her facial expression didn't help any. She stayed quiet, while I mentally bit my nails down into nubs. _This is what I meant by not doing anything you'd regret, stupid. Now she hates you._ Or, _did_ I regret it? The only word my mind seemed to know at that point, was 'no'.

I figured that I should probably say something at that point, to break the awkward silence. "Listen, I'm sorr-" I was cut off by her voice, finally letting itself be heard. "No, Gin. I think you've already said enough." I felt like a wrecking ball just smashed right into my stomach. I could feel my heart slowly tearing apart. I was prepared to hold back tears with all my might, until I felt those perfect lips pressed up against mine, for the second time that night. She kissed me. SHE kissed ME. For that first instant, I froze up, just in disbelief, before realizing that I should probably let her know exactly how much she means to me, by returning her gesture.

However short it was, that kiss summed up every positive feeling I've ever had. It was indescribable, and once it ended, I felt like I came smashing back down into a place just short of Heaven. And once you experience something that beautiful, and it's done, nothing ever shines quite the same way again. That is, until you visit Heaven again. That's how she made me feel, with just a kiss.

There was no awkward silence that time. No uncomfortable waiting. Because as soon as she parted our lips, Hermione reached for the door handle of that little closet, and went running back towards our Common Room. She was gone without a word, and before I could even begin thinking again. And then, everything that just happened came crashing down on me, leaving me floating back towards Gryffindor Tower, in a bliss that, in my mind, no one else could ever possibly experience.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you for reviewing! I usually have a very short attention span when it comes to writing, but your reviews are inspiring me to keep this story going. So thanks. :)**

Needless to say, I slept peacefully last night. No hope-filled dreams, waking up to bitter reality. Just, peace. When was the last time that's happened? _Ha, I guess those nights Hermione would sleep in my room, during the summer._ Waking up to her face, even though it would be across the room, would always be able to get me smiling for the day.

One thing did bother me, though. Why had Hermione run off like that? Not a word about anything that happened. To be honest, it left me completely confused. And now that last night is over, _curse it all_, it's got me thinking that maybe she ran off because she regretted kissing me in the first place. I shook my head, while failing miserably at trying to make this stupid tie look perfect; It's pretty much a morning ritual for me, though after a while I just give up, and walk out like a slob. _Stop freaking yourself out. She wouldn't have kissed you back in the first place, if she hadn't felt anything for you. You just need to find her, and talk to her about all this._ As if it's that easy. Just 'talk' to her? That's not even taking the possibility that she might avoid me, into consideration. _You're a real puss, you know that?_ Yeah, I know. Before I could wrinkle this sad little tie up any more, I sighed with a hint of a grunt, flung my bag over my shoulder, leaving my room in it's comfortable, piggish mess.

I didn't follow my own advice. Then again, Hermione didn't make it easy to. I hadn't seen her at Breakfast, nor Lunch. When I asked Ron and Harry if they knew where she was, they didn't do much but give me the "I dunno, probably studying or bathing Filch's cat again." response, though I didn't go looking for her, just to confirm what they said. They'll never let her forget about that. Only because she felt like she was on the verge of getting anything less than an O in Potions, even though she was already at the top, as usual. Snape must have felt humorous that day, to make her do something so unrelated to the class, for extra credit. _Even if I were to fail his class, I wouldn't go as far as washing a balding cat for a grade. _

It wasn't until afternoon, that I caught a glimpse of her. She had been running down the corridor, with several heavy books in her arms. _She looks too busy to talk right now._ But out from underneath one of the book covers, flew a piece of paper. She failed to notice it had shaken loose from her stack of study material. I walked over, and picked it up. It didn't have much on it. Just some silly dates and other numbers written sloppily across it. But for all I knew, she needed it for whatever she was studying for today. _I'll return it to her tonight. Could possibly be an ice breaker._ I continued walking towards the field, to start Quidditch practice. _Maybe now I can concentrate on something a little less complicated than girls._

Practice went really well today, though it began to drizzle half-way through. I took a few wrong turns, and ate mud, which is why now I'm pretty filthy. The whole team kept shouting for me to get my head out of the ground, but if only they knew. I was too drained to worry about showering while in the locker rooms, so I promised myself I'd do it before bed tonight. I closed my locker, and made way back to the Common Room. The Fat Lady was singing, like always, and wouldn't let me state the password until I heard her entire performance. That woman needs singing lessons. When the door finally opened, I could hear the faint flickering of a flame, but none of the usual chattering of students. It wasn't late enough for them to all be asleep, so it must be time for Dinner. _Not hungry. I'll just have a big breakfast in the morning. _When I reached the center of the room, I was just about to head towards the stairs, when I noticed a figure sitting on the couch, in front of the fire. What do you know, it was Hermione. Too busy studying, to eat. This was a good opportunity to talk to her. I walked up behind the couch, and I could tell that she was struggling to remember something, because her hand was help up to her forehead. I know her that well.

"Hey Hermione, what's the hold up?" She must have heard my footsteps, because she didn't jump at the mention of her name. She exasperated, "It's nothing, I just can't remember the page numbers I was supposed to be studying for Monday's exam. Stupid me, I lost the paper where I had written it all down." I plopped down on the couch cushion next to her, and reached for my small school bag, since I rarely carry books with me, and pulled out the page that had fluttered behind her earlier that day. "You dropped this.", I said, handing it back to her. She looked so surprised, it was absolutely adorable. "Oh, thank you so much, Ginny. I would be a complete failure on that exam if it weren't for you." _Hardly. She's too brilliant to fail anything._

After a moments pause, and a few flips of pages, I got my nerve up, and spoke again. I need to get this over with. "Hermione... Can I talk to you?" She didn't look up from her text, before replying with "Mhm, what's on your mind?"

"The same thing as last night." She stopped scanning her book, and I could see a hint of nervousness creep up over her facial features. It was pretty cute, I'm not going to lie. She diverted her gaze to the fire, making sure not to look at me while speaking. "I guess you want to talk about what happened, then?"

I took a deep breath, and said "Well, of course I do. Hermione, you left without a word. I've been racking my own nerves up all day, trying to figure out if you ran off because you regret what you did, or not. I just need to know if you feel even a small bit of the way I do." She still kept her focus on the fire. I ran my hand down the back of my head, exhaling deeply. _I can't believe I finally let that all out._ She began, "And how exactly is that?" _And now for the hard part. I just hope I can word all of this so she understands._

I jump off the couch, and stand directly in front of her, so she can't keep her eyes on the fire anymore, but on me instead. She brings her eyes up to my own, before I say "Ever since we first became close friends, I've been growing more and more attached to you. Over time, I began noticing even the tiniest things about you. From the meaning behind all of your different smiles, to the scent of your hair, and each individual marking in your eyes. I've memorized it all, because the truth is that those are the only things I see and feel, in my dreams. Each and every day, I would hope that I could get up the courage to ask you how you feel about me, because honestly, the only thing I do not understand about you, is how you think of me. I've fallen for you a long time ago, 'Mione. I've just always prayed that maybe one day you'd fall for me, too. So I'm asking... Do you feel anything for me, at all?" I was out of breath. I poured my heart out right in front of her, and now all I could do is wait.

She pushed herself up from the couch, standing away no distance more than how we were in the closet, that previous night. She's an inch or two shorter than me, but she might as well be fifty stories tall, with how minuscule she was making me feel right now. She stared into my eyes, the flame behind me reflecting off her own, with absolutely no emotion written on her face. "No, I don't feel _anything_ for you." So maybe I made a mistake. She could see my forming distress, and then smiled. "I feel everything." _That tease._ My heart flew up, into my throat. A smile shined so brightly across my face, that I knew for sure I must look like an idiot. I didn't care. I wrapped my arms around her back, while hers were up behind my neck. I held her so closely to me, that I was starting to fear that I was preventing her from breathing. She didn't say anything, so I had no reason to stop.

I pulled back for a moment, before stating, "But if you ever change your mind, even for a second, you don't have to be afraid of telling me. We'll always be friends first, deal?" She turned her head up towards me and grinned, placing her hand over my cheek, "Deal." then leaned up, kissing me with that beautiful smile, still plastered on her face. _Now that's how Gryffindor's do it._


End file.
